Google’s 20th Anniversary Search Easter Eggs Are A Major Th…

Although the ’90s and ’00s weren’t that long ago, a lot has changed. Dunkaroos are no longer the snack of the century, the kids from All That are totally grown up, and nobody’s bothered feeding their Tamagotchi in several years (RIP). Most importantly, though, the lingo is totally different. No one says things like, “page me,” or “keepin’ it real” anymore, so in honor of Google’s 20th year running, the search engine is making certain outdated queries return with updated spelling suggestions, to flash you forward to present day. So, if you haven’t already seen Google’s 20th anniversary search Easter eggs, they’re such throwbacks.

Believe it or not, Google’s 20th anniversary is on Thursday, Sept. 27. Yep, that’s right, and to honor two decades running, the search engine is celebrating in the most festive — and nostalgic — way: when you search certain retro terms from the last 20 years, it’ll come up with alternative present-day spelling suggestions. For example, if you search “watch a DVD” it’ll come up with, “Did you mean: streaming subscription.” Or, if you search “chat room,” it’ll come up with, “Did you mean: text the group.” There are so many old searchable terms you can enter, so go see for yourself. Fair warning, though — it’ll make you feel really freakin’ old.

OK, this one gets me. Honestly, at some point in middle school, I’m pretty positive I Googled, “How to tell someone you like them,” probably on a semi-regular basis. On Thursday, Sept. 27, Google suggested “swipe right.” LOL, that was so not a thing when I was searching this in middle school. The only “swiping right” I ever did was swiping someone’s GoGurt, right out of their hand. Honestly, this one makes me feel hella old, and I kind of don’t know what to do with myself.

This one also hits me right in the feels. Remember low-rider pants? Um, obviously, I do. Everyone had low-rider pants. Britney Spears and Posh Spice are pretty much the sole reason why I consistently wore a matching low-rider-jeans-and-belly-shirt set. (That’s right, are you jealous?) Anyway, now high-waisted pants are all the rage, and my beloved set is long gone. Rest in pieces.

I was 6 years old at the turn of the millennium, so I didn’t panic too much, in anticipation of Y2K. I remember people worrying about the state of their computers and credit cards, but since this was before every first-grader on earth owned an iPad, I was blissfully unaware of the supposed impending doom. Nothing ended up happening on Jan. 1, 2000, however, so Google snuck this little joke in there, by returning the query “What is Y2k? with “Did you mean: how does CRYPTOCURRENCY work?” Cute.

Once you search all the oldies, like “digital pet,” “baby,” and “143,” you should definitely check out Google’s Birthday Doodle.It starts playing that old dial-up tone in the background, while displaying Google’s old homepage. Then, it goes through popular queries that were probably searched over the last 20 years, like, “What will happen on Y2K?” Or, “Is Pluto still a planet?” It also shows queries in other languages, illustrated with super cute animations. It’s really nostalgic, and if you don’t get a chance to watch it on Google’s homepage today, check it out on YouTube.

I’ll be honest, Google’s search Easter eggs make me feel pretty old. TBH, I still say a bunch of these “outdated” terms like “gettin’ jiggy with it,” and I’ll never stop wearing butterfly clips like it’s 1999. Honestly, this feature might come in handy, should I decide to update my ’90s aesthetic, but for now, it’s good ol’ simple fun. HBD, Google!